Enhancing EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and motivation through mobile-assisted digital flashcards: the mediatory role of digital literacy

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the differential impacts of digital flashcards (DFs) on vocabulary learning and motivation of Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners with high and low levels of digital literacy (DL). Sixty pre-intermediate EFL learners from two private language institutes participated in this study, selected based on their general language proficiency through the Oxford Placement Test (OPT) and digital literacy questionnaire. The participants formed two experimental groups: a high digital literacy (HDL) group (N = 30) and a low digital literacy (LDL) group (N = 30), both receiving vocabulary instruction through DFs. Results indicated that both groups experienced significant changes after the treatment in terms of vocabulary attainment and motivational gains, with the HDL group notably outperforming the LDL group. The LDL group’s significant improvement, although not to the same extent as their HDL counterparts, suggested that the benefits of mobile-assisted DFs outweighed the challenges arising from the low DL.